1
: a young tree
specifically
: one not over four inches (about 10 centimeters) in diameter at breast height
2
Examples of sapling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The hotel is situated halfway up the historic Via Veneto in the shade of its giant sycamore trees—they’re practically saplings in La Dolce Vita, the Fellini movie that put this Roman street on the global map in the 1960s.
—
Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024
Fully 40% of those plots lacked a single aspen sapling.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 18 Nov. 2024
In order to grow robust saplings that can bolster the species in the wild, Hynson’s team is wielding an emerging tool in the arsenal of plant conservation: mycorrhizal fungi.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024
The trial passed its first major hurdle in November, when analysis of the saplings’ roots under a microscope revealed that their tips were covered in fungus.
—Alexa Phillips, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
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Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024
Fully 40% of those plots lacked a single aspen sapling.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 18 Nov. 2024
In order to grow robust saplings that can bolster the species in the wild, Hynson’s team is wielding an emerging tool in the arsenal of plant conservation: mycorrhizal fungi.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024
The trial passed its first major hurdle in November, when analysis of the saplings’ roots under a microscope revealed that their tips were covered in fungus.
—Alexa Phillips, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sapling
Dictionary Entries Near sapling
Cite this Entry
“Sapling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sapling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sapling
noun
sap·ling
ˈsap-liŋ 
: a young tree
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